S. E. Hinton
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Susan Eloise Hinton was born in 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Outsiders was published in 1967, when Hinton was only
17 years old and attending Will Rogers High School. She began writing the first draft of the novel when she was 15, and writing and rewriting took a year and a half before she was happy with the final copy.

Hinton was not a member of a gang when she wrote The Outsiders, but she was a friend to many greasers. She has stated that her biggest compliment was that her greaser friends liked the book. Although she also had friends who were Socs, she definitely
did not consider herself a part of that group. Her mother's reaction to the novel was shock; she said, "Susie, where did you pick up all of this?"


Education

The success of The Outsiders enabled Hinton to attend the University of Tulsa where she earned a degree in education in 1970. However, during her student teaching, she decided that she did not have the physical stamina to be a teacher. She found
herself teaching all day and then worrying about the kids all night.



Honors and Awards

S. E. Hinton has received numerous honors and awards. She won the Margaret Alexander Edwards Award in 1988. This award honors authors "whose book or books, over a period of time, have been accepted by young people as an authentic
voice that continues to illuminate their experiences and emotions, giving insight into their lives."

S. E. Hinton has won the following awards for her first novel, The Outsiders:

    • New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967

    • Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967

    • Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975

Hinton received the following awards for That Was Then, This Is Now:

    • American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults, 1971

    • Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1971

The author webpage:


IN ONE CLICK:

The Outsider Author Webpage